Ratermann out as Loramie coach

FORT LORAMIE — Fort Loramie boys basketball coach Karl Ratermann was on hand at the Board of Education meeting Monday night to plead his case to remain in that position.

But he will not return return for a seventh season as coach of the Redskins, despite five winning seasons in six years, and an outstanding postseason record.

Ratermann said Tuesday that he had not been told that he was being replaced as the head coach, but said the job had been posted on the Ohio High School Athletic Association website. He said that he was told recently during his evaluation that the administration would recommend to the board that he not be rehired as the head coach.

Fort Loramie school superintendent Dan Holland said he did not want to “get into specifics” about personnel matters, but he did tell Daily News reporter Patricia Ann Speelman, “As of the April 21 board meeting, (Ratermann’s) position is non-renewed and the position is posted.”

Holland went on to add, “what I will tell you is that we have certainly appreciated the six years Mr. Ratermann has spent as head basketball coach. We’re thankful for the time he dedicated to working with the kids. We certainly appreciate the effort he has put into the boys basketball program.”

Ratermann was the head coach at his alma mater for the past six seasons and enjoyed a lot of success. Five of his teams finished with winning records and four of them won 15 or more games.

His first team finished with a 16-9 record, followed by seasons of 17-7, 17-6, 5-16, 13-12 and 15-11 last season for an overall record of 83-61. He won one County title and was runner-up three other times.

“Most of the people feel I’m doing all right,” Ratermann said. “You’re not going to make everybody happy.

Ratermann was quite proud of the fact that Fort Loramie was 15-6 in tournament play during his tenure.

“When you look at it and compare it to some other schools, that’s pretty darn impressive,” he said “I think 15-6 is pretty good, and we made it to Dayton four times in the last six years.

“I still enjoy the kids, and the guys we had playing here were great,” he added. “I still enjoy teaching the game, still enjoy every minute of practice, and enjoy going in and hanging out with the kids.”

Asked if he would try to remain in coaching, he responded, “I still have a lot of energy left in the tank, but it would have to be the right situation.”

Despite how his tenure at Loramie ended, Ratermann was grateful for the opportunity.

“I want to say that I’m very thankful for the opportunity to coach at my alma mater,” he said. “When I was hired on, the expectations were to bring back the winning tradition and I think we’ve done that. And I think we brought back the hard-nosed and aggressive style of play that made Loramie basketball very respected. I really believe that we brought back the winning culture that Loramie fans expect.I feel we gained the respect of other teams.”